The Importance of Willpower for Weight Loss
Replies
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Using your mindset has gotten me to day four of eliminating snacking. High five! It made such good sense.3
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CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »An example.
Last night I was craving salty savory crunchy junk food. But I don't keep the stuff in my house. And it was cold and rainy, so I didn't want to go out.
Not keeping high calorie junk food around is a strategy I use to avoid thoughtless evening binges.
I know yours is an example but it is one where I have to use willpower/discipline instead of that strategy. I have a family that includes teenagers. There are probably 3 or 4 kinds of chips and a couple of kinds of cookies in the pantry. There are some Snickers ice cream bars and some Klondike bars in the freezer. The menu changes, but there are just about always snacks like that in the house. There are donuts in the breakroom at work some days; afternoon parties with chips and dips and beers (a temptation I have to avoid for more reasons than caloric content). I have to be able to withstand a constant barrage of temptation. I even do it to myself. I have squirreled away milestone rewards in my desk drawer. 4 more pounds and I get to have a white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookie. There are a bunch of fun size candy bars in there also. It's been weeks since I last had one at a previous milestone. No one but me knows exactly what's in there. I don't eat any of that stuff because I am not supposed to and because losing the weight is more important to me than a quick junk food fix, or at least it is right now. I am standing firm behind my decision and it isn't more taxing on donut days.
Even with these, though, you can change strategies and the amount of willpower needed.
One example is I see people here all the time whose only plan seems to be "I will not overeat." They don't change things but try to just take smaller portions, not overeat when eating out of a bag of chips, take just a few peanut M&Ms when grabbing some, so on. Without a plan, when they end up logging everything at the end of the day (if they even do that), of course they fail, and then they complain that there's something wrong since every day they vowed to eat less and did not.
Contrast this with having a plan for what specifically you will eat that day and sticking to it. It's easier to not grab the bag of chips or to portion out what you think you should eat (based on an overall plan for the day) vs. expecting yourself to stop after the right amount while eating out of the bag. It's easier to understand what makes sense for the day in advantage (for many people, anyway) rather than relying on telling yourself not to overeat and nothing more.
For some of us adding other strategies makes it still easier: some pre-make food or pre-log. So no wondering about what to eat when hungry. I don't do that, but I simply don't snack. There's food all over my office, but it's not as energy sapping to resist temptation when I can think "I'm eating my own planned food and not unplanned snacks."
Another strategy that made it easier for me (really, it was so easy I never thought about it) is to think of the food of others living in the house (snack food, not regular meal food) as not mine, but theirs. I wouldn't wear someone else's clothes without asking, and similarly I don't just grab their food. (This may not work with all families, of course.)
Another that made it easier is thinking about food in terms of what I can have, what's exciting and tasty and consistent with how I want to eat vs. thinking in terms of what I cannot have -- rephrasing as a positive. I've been trying out a plant-based diet (to support a friend who wanted to do it, and because I've done it before and always enjoy it), and have found myself naturally doing this and enjoying it because--I'm focusing on all the foods I am excited to make and doing that I don't miss the things I am not eating. (I suspect this is easier when it's novel, but taking advantage of that benefit at first helps form a habit which itself makes things take less willpower). Trying to think of running in the morning or evening as meditative or something I do to relax vs. something else on my list of things I must do that day is a similar reframing.
That said, I do think Aaron's initial post is right on and I find even with established habits the longer I spend with lots of other things being my number one priority (or numbers 1-10) and sapping my emotional energy and adding stress, the less likely I am to stick to even well-established habits of exercise and cooking and eating well, so it's important to focus on priorities and acknowledge that something is going to have to give so I should plan what one and not have it be the things I am only accountable to me on (fitness/health).3 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Many points that have been discussed here were sounding familiar to me, and I finally remembered why. I read this great article last year on how to harness your habits and the 3 primary points were:
1) Be realistic. Recognize the limits on your time, energy, and resources and only pick one or two things to work on at a time. As OP has said, focus on what's most important to you.
2) Manage your environment (as was touched on above). Make it harder to do the wrong thing (don't keep ice cream in your freezer, if that is your weakness) and make it easier to do the right thing (if you want to work out in the morning, put your workout clothes right next to the bed). Limit contact with people who discourage you, and seek out those who help reinforce your good habits (if you're trying to quit smoking, don't hang out with the smokers on your break).
3) Have a long-range view. Don't view setbacks as permanent failure, and focus on your successes (and how to repeat them) rather than your setbacks.
Hope this wasn't a derail- I just thought it tied in really nicely. And thanks, OP, for creating the post that prompted me to go hunt it down! I needed it
I'm not sure I've ever "inspiring"-ed something before, but the way you summed that up really spoke to me. I've recently been working on getting my family's finances in order, and realized that I've been treating saving money and getting out of debt much the same way I was treating weight loss a couple of years ago - I figured it was such a huge task, and fixing it would take so many unpleasant changes, that I was pretty much guaranteed to fail. So I give up before I begin, the problem gets worse, and so on and so forth.
IMO, your post highlights a couple of the mechanisms through which "willpower gets stronger with use", for me.
One is practicing breaking down a huge goal or problem in order to work on it stepwise, slowly but persistently, and viscerally learning that doing so is a skill in itself that can be honed and applied to other unrelated goals or problems. "Everyone knows" (intellectually) that breaking things down and being persistent works, but seeing it work for myself sharpens those tools in my personal toolbelt.
The second is the confidence or self-image side of that: Increasing the extent to which I internalize the idea that I'm a person who can do some major, long-term-commitment things.
A third piece of "willpower getting stronger" is - for lack of a better way of putting it - is where the ruts in my way of thinking are, since it's always easier to drive my thinking in the ruts rather than break new trails. Getting out of the habit (pattern) of thinking "this is huge, fixing it is overwhelming and will require unpleasant things, why even try" (which is a downward spiral), and into the "think of a manageable step and take it, stick with it" pattern (an upward spiral): That's pretty powerful.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »An example.
Last night I was craving salty savory crunchy junk food. But I don't keep the stuff in my house. And it was cold and rainy, so I didn't want to go out.
Not keeping high calorie junk food around is a strategy I use to avoid thoughtless evening binges.
I know yours is an example but it is one where I have to use willpower/discipline instead of that strategy. I have a family that includes teenagers. There are probably 3 or 4 kinds of chips and a couple of kinds of cookies in the pantry. There are some Snickers ice cream bars and some Klondike bars in the freezer. The menu changes, but there are just about always snacks like that in the house. There are donuts in the breakroom at work some days; afternoon parties with chips and dips and beers (a temptation I have to avoid for more reasons than caloric content). I have to be able to withstand a constant barrage of temptation. I even do it to myself. I have squirreled away milestone rewards in my desk drawer. 4 more pounds and I get to have a white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookie. There are a bunch of fun size candy bars in there also. It's been weeks since I last had one at a previous milestone. No one but me knows exactly what's in there. I don't eat any of that stuff because I am not supposed to and because losing the weight is more important to me than a quick junk food fix, or at least it is right now. I am standing firm behind my decision and it isn't more taxing on donut days.
Even with these, though, you can change strategies and the amount of willpower needed.
One example is I see people here all the time whose only plan seems to be "I will not overeat." They don't change things but try to just take smaller portions, not overeat when eating out of a bag of chips, take just a few peanut M&Ms when grabbing some, so on. Without a plan, when they end up logging everything at the end of the day (if they even do that), of course they fail, and then they complain that there's something wrong since every day they vowed to eat less and did not.
Contrast this with having a plan for what specifically you will eat that day and sticking to it. It's easier to not grab the bag of chips or to portion out what you think you should eat (based on an overall plan for the day) vs. expecting yourself to stop after the right amount while eating out of the bag. It's easier to understand what makes sense for the day in advantage (for many people, anyway) rather than relying on telling yourself not to overeat and nothing more.
For some of us adding other strategies makes it still easier: some pre-make food or pre-log. So no wondering about what to eat when hungry. I don't do that, but I simply don't snack. There's food all over my office, but it's not as energy sapping to resist temptation when I can think "I'm eating my own planned food and not unplanned snacks."
Another strategy that made it easier for me (really, it was so easy I never thought about it) is to think of the food of others living in the house (snack food, not regular meal food) as not mine, but theirs. I wouldn't wear someone else's clothes without asking, and similarly I don't just grab their food. (This may not work with all families, of course.)
Another that made it easier is thinking about food in terms of what I can have, what's exciting and tasty and consistent with how I want to eat vs. thinking in terms of what I cannot have -- rephrasing as a positive. I've been trying out a plant-based diet (to support a friend who wanted to do it, and because I've done it before and always enjoy it), and have found myself naturally doing this and enjoying it because--I'm focusing on all the foods I am excited to make and doing that I don't miss the things I am not eating. (I suspect this is easier when it's novel, but taking advantage of that benefit at first helps form a habit which itself makes things take less willpower). Trying to think of running in the morning or evening as meditative or something I do to relax vs. something else on my list of things I must do that day is a similar reframing.
That said, I do think Aaron's initial post is right on and I find even with established habits the longer I spend with lots of other things being my number one priority (or numbers 1-10) and sapping my emotional energy and adding stress, the less likely I am to stick to even well-established habits of exercise and cooking and eating well, so it's important to focus on priorities and acknowledge that something is going to have to give so I should plan what one and not have it be the things I am only accountable to me on (fitness/health).
This post I feel highlights something I wanted to get across in my initial post but I don't think I really emphasized enough. That is you should have a strategy, not just a notion of what you want to accomplish. What strategy you employ will be very personal so I wouldn't feel right to say "do this" which is why I only provided the examples of the strategies I used that worked for me.
A strategy is a specific plan and means in which you want to accomplish the goal. Follow the strategy you lay out, the goal should be accomplished. "I want to lose weight by eating less" isn't a strategy, that is a goal. "I will set a time aside on saturday to cook a large meal in which I count calories in all the items I add to the meal then portion the meal into 500 calorie portions that I will then use as my dinners" is a strategy. Reaching a goal might require employing numerous strategies. You should come up with what strategies you want to employ in advance and then think about how you will set aside the needed time and willpower to carry them out in advance. With the concept of willpower in mind you should choose the minimum number of strategies needed to accomplish your goal and choose strategies that require the least amount of effort. That would be the plan. Just saying "I'm going to lose weight by eating less" contains no strategies and therefore isn't actually a plan.8 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »An example.
Last night I was craving salty savory crunchy junk food. But I don't keep the stuff in my house. And it was cold and rainy, so I didn't want to go out.
Not keeping high calorie junk food around is a strategy I use to avoid thoughtless evening binges.
I know yours is an example but it is one where I have to use willpower/discipline instead of that strategy. I have a family that includes teenagers. There are probably 3 or 4 kinds of chips and a couple of kinds of cookies in the pantry. There are some Snickers ice cream bars and some Klondike bars in the freezer. The menu changes, but there are just about always snacks like that in the house. There are donuts in the breakroom at work some days; afternoon parties with chips and dips and beers (a temptation I have to avoid for more reasons than caloric content). I have to be able to withstand a constant barrage of temptation. I even do it to myself. I have squirreled away milestone rewards in my desk drawer. 4 more pounds and I get to have a white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookie. There are a bunch of fun size candy bars in there also. It's been weeks since I last had one at a previous milestone. No one but me knows exactly what's in there. I don't eat any of that stuff because I am not supposed to and because losing the weight is more important to me than a quick junk food fix, or at least it is right now. I am standing firm behind my decision and it isn't more taxing on donut days.
Even with these, though, you can change strategies and the amount of willpower needed.
One example is I see people here all the time whose only plan seems to be "I will not overeat." They don't change things but try to just take smaller portions, not overeat when eating out of a bag of chips, take just a few peanut M&Ms when grabbing some, so on. Without a plan, when they end up logging everything at the end of the day (if they even do that), of course they fail, and then they complain that there's something wrong since every day they vowed to eat less and did not.
Contrast this with having a plan for what specifically you will eat that day and sticking to it. It's easier to not grab the bag of chips or to portion out what you think you should eat (based on an overall plan for the day) vs. expecting yourself to stop after the right amount while eating out of the bag. It's easier to understand what makes sense for the day in advantage (for many people, anyway) rather than relying on telling yourself not to overeat and nothing more.
For some of us adding other strategies makes it still easier: some pre-make food or pre-log. So no wondering about what to eat when hungry. I don't do that, but I simply don't snack. There's food all over my office, but it's not as energy sapping to resist temptation when I can think "I'm eating my own planned food and not unplanned snacks."
Another strategy that made it easier for me (really, it was so easy I never thought about it) is to think of the food of others living in the house (snack food, not regular meal food) as not mine, but theirs. I wouldn't wear someone else's clothes without asking, and similarly I don't just grab their food. (This may not work with all families, of course.)
Another that made it easier is thinking about food in terms of what I can have, what's exciting and tasty and consistent with how I want to eat vs. thinking in terms of what I cannot have -- rephrasing as a positive. I've been trying out a plant-based diet (to support a friend who wanted to do it, and because I've done it before and always enjoy it), and have found myself naturally doing this and enjoying it because--I'm focusing on all the foods I am excited to make and doing that I don't miss the things I am not eating. (I suspect this is easier when it's novel, but taking advantage of that benefit at first helps form a habit which itself makes things take less willpower). Trying to think of running in the morning or evening as meditative or something I do to relax vs. something else on my list of things I must do that day is a similar reframing.
That said, I do think Aaron's initial post is right on and I find even with established habits the longer I spend with lots of other things being my number one priority (or numbers 1-10) and sapping my emotional energy and adding stress, the less likely I am to stick to even well-established habits of exercise and cooking and eating well, so it's important to focus on priorities and acknowledge that something is going to have to give so I should plan what one and not have it be the things I am only accountable to me on (fitness/health).
This post I feel highlights something I wanted to get across in my initial post but I don't think I really emphasized enough. That is you should have a strategy, not just a notion of what you want to accomplish. What strategy you employ will be very personal so I wouldn't feel right to say "do this" which is why I only provided the examples of the strategies I used that worked for me.
A strategy is a specific plan and means in which you want to accomplish the goal. Follow the strategy you lay out, the goal should be accomplished. "I want to lose weight by eating less" isn't a strategy, that is a goal. "I will set a time aside on saturday to cook a large meal in which I count calories in all the items I add to the meal then portion the meal into 500 calorie portions that I will then use as my dinners" is a strategy. Reaching a goal might require employing numerous strategies. You should come up with what strategies you want to employ in advance and then think about how you will set aside the needed time and willpower to carry them out in advance. With the concept of willpower in mind you should choose the minimum number of strategies needed to accomplish your goal and choose strategies that require the least amount of effort. That would be the plan. Just saying "I'm going to lose weight by eating less" contains no strategies and therefore isn't actually a plan.
Now this is something we can agree on. My strategy is to cut out all junk food except milestone rewards (and they are small) and only have fruit for snacks (limit two) and track everything all day as I eat so I know what I have left. I meal plan but sometimes I deviate. When I pass the next milestone, I am going to start allowing some non fruit snacks like fun size candy bars but still track as I go. I don't want to introduce snacks at the bottom and go wild.
I got over half way to goal eating very differently, absolutely dieting. This is not sustainable. Once I get closer, I will start eating like I will at maintenance and do 5:2 IF to stay in deficit. That's another strategy.
This time goal weight is the line in the sand - it s a number to stay below, not the middle of an arbitrary range. Another strategy and potentially the most important one. Trying to re-invent how I eat is not going to be easy. If I have to go through some cycles of losing a few pounds under goal and trying to maintain again, so be it, An ever widening range (and waist) has been what gets me started on gaining back. I am using BMI because the number is not arbitrary and I didn't pick it. I am going to stay under 25. I have not had a hard ceiling before.1 -
This said it all for me. I needed this.0
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pisces1983 wrote: »This said it all for me. I needed this.
Good to hear.0 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »An example.
Last night I was craving salty savory crunchy junk food. But I don't keep the stuff in my house. And it was cold and rainy, so I didn't want to go out.
Not keeping high calorie junk food around is a strategy I use to avoid thoughtless evening binges.
I know yours is an example but it is one where I have to use willpower/discipline instead of that strategy. I have a family that includes teenagers. There are probably 3 or 4 kinds of chips and a couple of kinds of cookies in the pantry. There are some Snickers ice cream bars and some Klondike bars in the freezer. The menu changes, but there are just about always snacks like that in the house. There are donuts in the breakroom at work some days; afternoon parties with chips and dips and beers (a temptation I have to avoid for more reasons than caloric content). I have to be able to withstand a constant barrage of temptation. I even do it to myself. I have squirreled away milestone rewards in my desk drawer. 4 more pounds and I get to have a white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookie. There are a bunch of fun size candy bars in there also. It's been weeks since I last had one at a previous milestone. No one but me knows exactly what's in there. I don't eat any of that stuff because I am not supposed to and because losing the weight is more important to me than a quick junk food fix, or at least it is right now. I am standing firm behind my decision and it isn't more taxing on donut days.
Even with these, though, you can change strategies and the amount of willpower needed.
One example is I see people here all the time whose only plan seems to be "I will not overeat." They don't change things but try to just take smaller portions, not overeat when eating out of a bag of chips, take just a few peanut M&Ms when grabbing some, so on. Without a plan, when they end up logging everything at the end of the day (if they even do that), of course they fail, and then they complain that there's something wrong since every day they vowed to eat less and did not.
Contrast this with having a plan for what specifically you will eat that day and sticking to it. It's easier to not grab the bag of chips or to portion out what you think you should eat (based on an overall plan for the day) vs. expecting yourself to stop after the right amount while eating out of the bag. It's easier to understand what makes sense for the day in advantage (for many people, anyway) rather than relying on telling yourself not to overeat and nothing more.
For some of us adding other strategies makes it still easier: some pre-make food or pre-log. So no wondering about what to eat when hungry. I don't do that, but I simply don't snack. There's food all over my office, but it's not as energy sapping to resist temptation when I can think "I'm eating my own planned food and not unplanned snacks."
Another strategy that made it easier for me (really, it was so easy I never thought about it) is to think of the food of others living in the house (snack food, not regular meal food) as not mine, but theirs. I wouldn't wear someone else's clothes without asking, and similarly I don't just grab their food. (This may not work with all families, of course.)
Another that made it easier is thinking about food in terms of what I can have, what's exciting and tasty and consistent with how I want to eat vs. thinking in terms of what I cannot have -- rephrasing as a positive. I've been trying out a plant-based diet (to support a friend who wanted to do it, and because I've done it before and always enjoy it), and have found myself naturally doing this and enjoying it because--I'm focusing on all the foods I am excited to make and doing that I don't miss the things I am not eating. (I suspect this is easier when it's novel, but taking advantage of that benefit at first helps form a habit which itself makes things take less willpower). Trying to think of running in the morning or evening as meditative or something I do to relax vs. something else on my list of things I must do that day is a similar reframing.
That said, I do think Aaron's initial post is right on and I find even with established habits the longer I spend with lots of other things being my number one priority (or numbers 1-10) and sapping my emotional energy and adding stress, the less likely I am to stick to even well-established habits of exercise and cooking and eating well, so it's important to focus on priorities and acknowledge that something is going to have to give so I should plan what one and not have it be the things I am only accountable to me on (fitness/health).
This post I feel highlights something I wanted to get across in my initial post but I don't think I really emphasized enough. That is you should have a strategy, not just a notion of what you want to accomplish. What strategy you employ will be very personal so I wouldn't feel right to say "do this" which is why I only provided the examples of the strategies I used that worked for me.
A strategy is a specific plan and means in which you want to accomplish the goal. Follow the strategy you lay out, the goal should be accomplished. "I want to lose weight by eating less" isn't a strategy, that is a goal. "I will set a time aside on saturday to cook a large meal in which I count calories in all the items I add to the meal then portion the meal into 500 calorie portions that I will then use as my dinners" is a strategy. Reaching a goal might require employing numerous strategies. You should come up with what strategies you want to employ in advance and then think about how you will set aside the needed time and willpower to carry them out in advance. With the concept of willpower in mind you should choose the minimum number of strategies needed to accomplish your goal and choose strategies that require the least amount of effort. That would be the plan. Just saying "I'm going to lose weight by eating less" contains no strategies and therefore isn't actually a plan.
This is why my advice to people who want tips on how to lose weight through calorie counting is to spend some time logging what they eat without making any specific changes to their diet. While one can certainly get ideas from others, the best strategies will be customized to your individual eating patterns. I suspect that most people aren't really all that aware of their own eating habits, so trying to cut back on calories becomes something of a shot in the dark.2 -
YES! I so agree, I know what to do, but the willpower is hard at times! This post is exactly what I needed to read today.0
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whose reading all of this??3
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EloiseBean wrote: »whose reading all of this??
I know right? Reading is for suckers.9 -
I've lost bits of weight here and there but it's consistent and it's happening by means I can use and like to use in the most stressful of situations. 70 lbs down and I'm thrilled.
That said, what doesn't help is society and even these forums advocating fitspo-ish, balls to the walls, go big or go home, and those who don't do it lack will power. Apparently doing enough to get by really isn't enough.
If I can maintain my weight and fitness level here, I'm fine. I do intend to keep reaching for new goals. But to so many the idea of accepting your limitations and either being satisfied with your results or just doing your best (not someone else's idea of the best) is unacceptable.4 -
newheavensearth wrote: »I've lost bits of weight here and there but it's consistent and it's happening by means I can use and like to use in the most stressful of situations. 70 lbs down and I'm thrilled.
That said, what doesn't help is society and even these forums advocating fitspo-ish, balls to the walls, go big or go home, and those who don't do it lack will power. Apparently doing enough to get by really isn't enough.
If I can maintain my weight and fitness level here, I'm fine. I do intend to keep reaching for new goals. But to so many the idea of accepting your limitations and either being satisfied with your results or just doing your best (not someone else's idea of the best) is unacceptable.
I guess that is the message I was trying to get across. Its okay to just do only what it takes to lose weight slowly but consistently and comfortably. In fact its more than okay its perhaps the best strategy if you want to succeed.5 -
I find that's it's easier for me to initially say no to goodies (chocolate, baked goods) than to have a little and walk away. I.JUST.CAN'T!1
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I still think this is an amazing thread. And I read it TWICE. Fool that I am.
Thank you.3 -
off topic but @MorningGloryLori: I dearly love your signature pic! heehee - I've said that about a lot of books!1
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JillianRumrill wrote: »I find that's it's easier for me to initially say no to goodies (chocolate, baked goods) than to have a little and walk away. I.JUST.CAN'T!
That's your "less willpower" choice and you're doing it right. It's also my "less willpower" choice for some foods I almost nearly stopped eating, but there are foods where a little bit is the less willpower choice, and some others my less willpower choice is to save up calories and have something in my usual portions but less frequently. I hope you don't mind me using your post to make a point.
Great post, OP, and I personally completely agree. Some people think by "less willpower" it means one certain approach or strategy, for example "not cutting out anything". To me, it means the path of least resistance - it doesn't mean to completely give in. When presented with several choices I tend to pick the the easiest and most sustainable choice that would still help me achieve my goal out of the choices I have. If I'm sacrificing something in return and that sacrifice is worth it, then it's worth it. For example: I know that my strength training routine would not give me the same results in the same timeframe as someone who lifts, but I'm okay with that because stubbornly trying to stick to something I don't like would have given me worse results in the long run, either because I would be quitting and restarting too often to see results, or because it would make my mental health worse with the stress involved in doing something I find mentally and physically (extreme hunger) taxing. Picking the choice that most would deem less efficient lead to me being able to do pushups at a weight most women can't without making my weight loss process unnecessarily harder. It took a few years, but I still got the results. I don't particularly enjoy it, but it's the path of least mental resistance in my case.
I also would rather work out longer than more intensely. A walk/easy run is more enjoyable to me and less physically taxing. When I tried interval training and higher intensities I noticed it reduced my NEAT significantly to where I burned less on workout days than rest days, so it was both mentally harder AND bad for my diet. It was a smarter choice to pick the kind of physical activity that still gave me results but didn't feel too mentally and physically taxing.
Dieting-wise, I have being crawling at a snail's pace, but having a smaller deficit with breaks when I need them has been the most sustainable path of least resistance. Sure it took me years to lose what others can in one year, but it has allowed me to achieve what is statistically an anomaly: be significantly lighter several years after starting weight loss.9 -
Reading later 0
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I just ran across this article and it reminded me of this post: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/11/3/13486940/self-control-psychology-myth
Towards the end there's a list of characteristics of people who demonstrate good self-control. The last two are genetics and wealth, but the first two line up pretty well with what people have already posted here.
1) People who are better at self-control actually enjoy the activities some of us resist.
2) People who are good at self-control have learned better habits.2 -
Bump for the newbies 1
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I have not thread through the whole thread yet but OP while reading your first post I am reminded of what it is called decision fatigue.0
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I have not thread through the whole thread yet but OP while reading your first post I am reminded of what it is called decision fatigue.
I'm not the OP, but I had never heard of this so went looking to read up on it and found this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html
Very interesting! And sure enough:
“Good decision making is not a trait of the person, in the sense that it’s always there,” Baumeister says. “It’s a state that fluctuates.” His studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions.
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I absolutely love this post. Exactly what new members of mfp need . Thanks for sharing.1
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Willpower like motivation can come and go, but lasting habits can be formed so it becomes automatic to make the right choices. At least that's my experience.1
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »
I would really like to see OP condense this down. I recommend this post a lot in the forums, but always with an apology about the length! I fear many of the people that could benefit from it will skip it because of the length
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »
I would really like to see OP condense this down. I recommend this post a lot in the forums, but always with an apology about the length! I fear many of the people that could benefit from it will skip it because of the length
Exactly. I vote for the condensed version too 0 -
I have not thread through the whole thread yet but OP while reading your first post I am reminded of what it is called decision fatigue.
I'm not the OP, but I had never heard of this so went looking to read up on it and found this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html
Very interesting! And sure enough:
“Good decision making is not a trait of the person, in the sense that it’s always there,” Baumeister says. “It’s a state that fluctuates.” His studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions.
Continuing on the subtopic of decision fatigue, I really enjoyed this article as well: https://medium.com/@aadamsnotes/when-if-it-fits-your-macros-becomes-if-it-fits-your-mouth-19e51d2e3d1e
In summary, he argues that it can be easier for some people (*raises hand*) to maintain a deficit if you reduce some of the variability in your diet. This doesn't mean following crazy restriction diets, but it does mean avoiding trigger foods and doing some meal planning. "Structure and regimentation simply means that 90% of the time you follow a plan that you’ve created - from the number of meals, the foods you eat - and the other 10% you can relax a little with your eating."4 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »I have not thread through the whole thread yet but OP while reading your first post I am reminded of what it is called decision fatigue.
I'm not the OP, but I had never heard of this so went looking to read up on it and found this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html
Very interesting! And sure enough:
“Good decision making is not a trait of the person, in the sense that it’s always there,” Baumeister says. “It’s a state that fluctuates.” His studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions.
Continuing on the subtopic of decision fatigue, I really enjoyed this article as well: https://medium.com/@aadamsnotes/when-if-it-fits-your-macros-becomes-if-it-fits-your-mouth-19e51d2e3d1e
In summary, he argues that it can be easier for some people (*raises hand*) to maintain a deficit if you reduce some of the variability in your diet. This doesn't mean following crazy restriction diets, but it does mean avoiding trigger foods and doing some meal planning. "Structure and regimentation simply means that 90% of the time you follow a plan that you’ve created - from the number of meals, the foods you eat - and the other 10% you can relax a little with your eating."
I will bookmark this for later.
I read a recommendation early on in my weight loss about automation. I wouldn't want to literally eat the same meals every day, but I have about 3 basic breakfasts that I rotate, and lunch generally ends up being the same handful of options as well. Dinner is more varied, but revolves around some basic menus I instinctively know the calorie counts for. I definitely find I am more consistent when I keep it simple.3 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »I have not thread through the whole thread yet but OP while reading your first post I am reminded of what it is called decision fatigue.
I'm not the OP, but I had never heard of this so went looking to read up on it and found this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html
Very interesting! And sure enough:
“Good decision making is not a trait of the person, in the sense that it’s always there,” Baumeister says. “It’s a state that fluctuates.” His studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions.
Continuing on the subtopic of decision fatigue, I really enjoyed this article as well: https://medium.com/@aadamsnotes/when-if-it-fits-your-macros-becomes-if-it-fits-your-mouth-19e51d2e3d1e
In summary, he argues that it can be easier for some people (*raises hand*) to maintain a deficit if you reduce some of the variability in your diet. This doesn't mean following crazy restriction diets, but it does mean avoiding trigger foods and doing some meal planning. "Structure and regimentation simply means that 90% of the time you follow a plan that you’ve created - from the number of meals, the foods you eat - and the other 10% you can relax a little with your eating."
I will bookmark this for later.
I read a recommendation early on in my weight loss about automation. I wouldn't want to literally eat the same meals every day, but I have about 3 basic breakfasts that I rotate, and lunch generally ends up being the same handful of options as well. Dinner is more varied, but revolves around some basic menus I instinctively know the calorie counts for. I definitely find I am more consistent when I keep it simple.
I realize this was something I did intuitively, although I would have said I ate a varied diet, and it was helpful.
Breakfast -- I'd repeat one similar meals for weeks on weekdays. (Normal breakfast was 2 egg omelet with greens and at least one other veg -- depended on what was in the refrigerator -- plus cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt, or smoked salmon). Lunch, I'd pack it ahead (and log ahead) so I just had to grab and go. Dinner -- variations on protein (based on what I'd taken out to defrost), vegetables (what was in the refrigerator), and starch (whatever I felt like, and whether I felt like pasta or stir fry or potatoes/sweet potatoes on the side). I'd usually have some leftovers available in case it was a day I didn't have time to cook. All really easy things to log and generally in my recent or favorite foods, just had to change the amounts.0
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